weakness
Americannoun
-
the state or quality of being weak; lack of strength, firmness, vigor, or the like; feebleness.
- Synonyms:
- fragility
- Antonyms:
- strength
-
an inadequate or defective quality, as in a person's character; slight fault or defect.
to show great sympathy for human weaknesses.
- Synonyms:
- flaw
-
a self-indulgent liking or special fondness, as for a particular thing.
I've always had a weakness for the opera.
-
an object of special desire; something very difficult to resist.
Chocolates were her weakness.
noun
-
the state or quality of being weak
-
a deficiency or failing, as in a person's character
-
a self-indulgent fondness or liking
a weakness for chocolates
Synonym Usage
See fault.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of weakness
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English waikenes, weikenes. See weak, -ness
Explanation
The point where something fails to work properly or to hold up is its weakness. If a building crumbles in a storm, it's probably because of a weakness — a flaw or defect — in its structure. Weakness can indicate a physical weakness, like a chair with one wobbly leg, or flaw in an idea, like a plan for a lemonade stand that doesn't include any cups for serving the lemonade. People can show weakness too, when they are helpless to take action. The origin of weakness can be traced all the way back to its Proto-Indo-European root of weik, "to bend."
Vocabulary lists containing weakness
Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ness
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Unit 1, Week 4
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The Suffix -ness, Part 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Kane's position here makes him a weakness defensively.
From BBC • Jun. 18, 2026
“In setting policy at this meeting, the Committee continued to judge that weakness in demand and the labour market was likely to lessen the strength of second-round effects from higher global energy prices.”
From Barron's • Jun. 17, 2026
BNP Paribas analyst Nick Jones wrote in a Tuesday note that Snap’s pricing strategy for Specs may be contributing to the company’s stock weakness following the release.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 17, 2026
Like Vito Corleone, I have a sentimental weakness for my children and I spoil them.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 17, 2026
By that evening, many of the crewmen had begun to suffer from classic symptoms of radiation poisoning: weakness, headaches, fevers, and nausea.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
